BJJ Class 23

Decided to try going light today. I did the warm-up jogging (really slow), but not the summersaults. I could definitely feel my ribs during technique drilling, but was able to get through it by taking it slow. I was debating whether or not to spar. I decided to give it a try at slow speed. About all I could do was defend against submissions…provided the submission defense did not involve an excessive amount of twisting and turning. You might be surprised at how many escapes are ruled out by this approach. For example, a classic escape for the omoplata armlock is a forward roll, but that was not an option for me, so I tapped instead. Triangle escapes were difficult as well, since those also use the muscles near the ribs. Despite the rib issues, my triumph for today was pulling off a back escape against the same guy that cranked my neck three weeks ago. Since that time, I had purchased (courtesy of the Amazon Christmas gift card that I received from my mom) “Jiu Jitsu University”, by six-time BJJ world champion Saulo Ribeiro. In that book, he teaches the back escape that I used today. The next guy I sparred took my back as well. I also used the escape against him, but he was able to transition to a triangle. As I said, my ribs aren’t quite ready for triangle escapes. I will say one thing. I have even more respect now for what UFC middle weight champion Anderson Silva did against Chael Sonnen at UFC117. Like me, Silva had injured his ribs several weeks before the fight. Sonnen, an expert wrestler, made Silva pay for his decision to fight anyway by keeping Silva on his back for the entire five rounds of the fight. Finally, in the fifth round, with the clock ticking down, Silva locked on a triangle choke from the bottom to win the fight. If his ribs felt anything like mine do right now, I wouldn’t have blamed Silva one bit for giving up in the first round. Silva, a BJJ black belt, used classic Jiu jitsu strategy for fighting against a stronger opponent: 1. Nullify your opponent’s attacks. 2. Wait for your opponent to become mentally and physically tired from his failed attempts to dominate you. 3. Look for a window of opportunity to slip past your opponent’s (increasingly sloppy) defense, and secure a reversal or submission.